The invention relates to a system for handling containers having at least one automated area in which ground-travelling, rubber-tyred and driverless container transport vehicles are used, which transport containers between container bridges and a container store.
The invention also relates to a ground-travelling, rubber-tyred container transport vehicle which can be operated in a driverless or manned manner as selected, wherein the container transport vehicle is fitted with a control system for driverless operation, which can be brought into operative connection with the travel drive and/or the steering and/or the braking system, which has means for inputting and storing possible travel routes and a transport task, means for automatically determining the vehicle position in space, means for controlling the movement of the container transport vehicle in dependence upon its position in space and upon the preset transport task, and means for braking the container transport vehicle in the presence of obstacles, and the container transport vehicle can be connected to an auxiliary device for control during manned operation.
Handling systems, i.e. systems for loading and unloading vehicles, ships and railways, and for storing containers are known.
In the known systems manned means and transport vehicles on the one hand, and driverless or unmanned means and transport vehicles, for example so-called automated guided vehicles (AGVs) on the other hand, are used for container handling and container transportation. Manned means or transport vehicles are understood to be those which are actively controlled by drivers or vehicle operators travelling with the vehicle. In contrast to this, driverless or unmanned means or transport vehicles are controlled during automated operation without active operation by a driver. “Unmanned” or “driverless” relates only to the actual intervention of a driver in the control process. In this sense, unmanned automated operation of a corresponding means or of a transport vehicle can also be provided when a driver is travelling with the vehicle but does not actively intervene in the control.
Thus from EP 0 302 569 B1 a storage and transfer system for containers is known, including a quay with quayside cranes for loading and unloading container ships which are moored at the said quay, a container storage depot which is provided with a group of gantry crane tracks disposed next to each other, a number of vehicles not guided on rails for transportation of containers between the quayside cranes and the gantry cranes, and means for automated control of the vehicles. The means for automated or driverless control of the vehicles include a freely programmable path selection system able to guide each vehicle along pre-programmed positions in the quay area without guide tracks. Each vehicle is provided with a navigation device to determine the path to take and to compare this path with the desired path, a reference grid of transponders and/or induction wires is disposed in, on or below the road surface of the quay area, and each vehicle is provided with one or a plurality of transceiver units which determine the position of the vehicle by mutual influence with the said reference grid in order to transmit signals to the control device of the vehicle so as to correct the vehicle position.
These so-called driverless transport vehicles or AGVs are ground-travelling, rubber-tyred conveying means with their own travel drive, which are controlled in an automated manner, i.e. without a driver or vehicle operator travelling with them, and are guided in a contact-free way. These are defined for example in VDI guideline 2510.
Corresponding vehicles are also known from DE 10 2007 039 778 A1, in which a ground-travelling transport vehicle is disclosed for the transportation of containers with at least one lifting platform which is disposed on a vehicle frame of the transport vehicle and which, by means of a lifting drive, can be raised from a lowered transport position into a raised transfer position, or can be lowered in the reverse case. The lifting platform is attached to the vehicle frame by at least one knee lever, wherein the lifting platform can be raised or lowered via the at least one knee lever, and the lifting drive acts upon the at least one knee lever and guides the lifting platform for the lifting and lowering movement on the transport vehicle.
From DE 196 13 386 A1 a counterbalance forklift truck is known, which can be operated in a manned or driverless manner as selected and is provided with a fork for handling pallets and loads located thereon. For driverless automated operation, the ground-travelling handling equipment is fitted with a control system which can be brought into operative connection with the travel drive and/or the steering and/or the braking system and/or the movement control of the fork. Furthermore, the vehicle includes means for inputting and storing possible travel routes and a transport task, means for autonomously determining the vehicle position in space, means for controlling the movement of the vehicle in dependence upon its position in space and upon the preset transport task, means for recognising the presence, position and orientation of a pallet, means for controlling the movement of the fork and/or of the vehicle in dependence upon the position, the orientation of the pallet and the transport task and means for braking the vehicle in the presence of obstacles.
From patent application U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,026 A a system for handling air freight in an airport area between baggage check-in points or baggage claim areas and waiting aircraft is known. Transport vehicles are used for this handling which function in a mixed operation and thus change between manned operation controlled by a driver and driverless automated operation. The transport vehicles are moved in an automated and driverless manner along power rails in a partial area of the apron and on the way to the baggage check-in points or baggage claim areas. Since the positions of waiting aircraft are never identical, the transport vehicles are controlled by a driver when approaching the aircraft area.
From the German utility model document DE 20 2007 016 156 U1 gantry lifting trolleys, so called straddle carriers, are known which also function in mixed operation during transportation and stacking of containers. The straddle carrier is moved to a container stack in a manned manner. Introducing the straddle carrier to pick up or put down containers above the topmost container of a container stack is carried out by automated steering—which can be activated by the driver—with a laser scanner.